Oil shield for railroad journal box

ABSTRACT

An oil shield for attachment to the jacking pad of a plain or solid type railroad journal box for catching and diverting oil leaking from the journal box away from the wheels and rails to a point toward the edge of the track.

United States Patent Don A. Dozier 11141 Joymeadow, Dallas, Tex. 75218 848,662

Aug. 8, 1969 May 11, 1971 Inventor Appl. No. Filed Patented OIL SHIELD FOR RAILROAD JOURNAL BOX 8 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 184/106 Int. Cl Fl6n 33/00 FieldolSearch 300/83,79,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 572,641 12/ 1896 Kriners 184/106 Primary Examiner-Fred C. Mattem, Jr. Assistant Examiner-Frank Susko Attorney-Richards, Harris and Hubbard ABSTRACT: An oil shield for attachment to the jacking pad of a plain or solid type railroad journal box for catching and diverting oil leaking from the journal box away from the wheels and rails to a point toward the edge of the track.

PATENTEUHAH 1 I97! FIG. 3

R E Ry m A N 0 0 FIG 4 OIL SHIELD FOR RAILROAD JOURNAL BOX This invention relates to the railroad industry. In another aspect, this invention relates to an improved apparatus for preventing leaking oil from solid-type railroad journal boxes from reaching the railroad wheels and rails. In another aspect, this invention relates to a novel method of preventing poor adhesion between railroad wheels and rails. In still another aspect, this invention relates to an improved railroad axle journal box.

A major percentage of all railroad cars now in service in the United States are equipped with plain or solid-type journal assemblies which generally comprise a journal bearing contained within a housing (journal box) carrying a suitable lubricant. These conventional journal boxes are notoriously inefficient in containing the oil within the internal reservoir, and as a result oil leakage therefrom is transmitted to the railroad wheels, the under side of the railroad car, and ultimately the upper portion of the rails.

The presence of journal oil leakage on the rails results in wheel slippage both in traction and braking operations due to low adhesion between the rail and wheel. This problem is particularly acute under conditions of high humidity or'darnpness wherein a very light coating of moisture is formed on the surface of the rails. Oil deposited at any point on the surface of a rail will thereby float on the thin water coating and spread over the surface of the rail. This action causes a'substantial lowering of the coefficient friction between the contacting surfaces of the wheel and the rail. This results not only in inef-' ficient operation of the railroad due to speed reductions ancl stoppages of the train, but also in wheel and track damage due to the wheel slippage.

Various sanding devices have been developed for depositing various kinds of silica between the wheel and the rail. The installation and use of sand and sanding devices not only is very expensive, but the sand itself causes abrasive damage to both the railroad wheels and rails, as well as causing accelerated deterioration of the track structure.

As a result, other techniques have been investigated for removing the oil deposits from the rails and increasing adhesion between the wheels and rail including the use of chemicals for washing the oil from the rails, and the use of heating devices such as plasma torches to clean the oil from the rails. These techniques are not only quite expensive but have proved to be impractical. For example, the chemical substance for removing'the oil from the rail should be applied to the rail in sufficient time to react with the oil before the train is passed thereover. As a result, the chemical should be applied by various work crews periodically between scheduled train runs.

Therefore, there is needed a method and apparatus for preventing railroad wheel slippage caused by oil leakage on wheels and rails from railroad wheel journal boxes.

Accordingly, one object of the invention is to prevent railroad wheel slippage caused by oil leakage from railroad car journal boxes.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved railroad journal bearing box of the solid type.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel apparatus for catching oil leakage from a railroad journal box and diverting the leaked oil away from the wheel and rail areas to a harmless position toward the edge of the railroad track.

According to the invention, oil leaking from a railroad journal box is caught by an oil shield attached integral to the journal box and diverted from the wheel and rail areas to a position toward the edge of the railroad track.

According to a preferred embodiment of this invention, an oil shield for a railroad journal box is provided which comprises a flattened abutting portion for attachment such as by welding to the jacking pad of a journal box in combination with an oil catch basin positioned under the rear portion of a journal box which is in communication with at least one gravity flow conduit angled downwardly from said basin to deposit oil adjacent to the rails.

This invention can be understood more easily from a study of the drawings in which:

' positioned adjacent the running surface of wheel 26 and.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred oil shield of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a railroad wheel and journal box carrying the oil shield of FIG. I operatively attached thereto;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the journal box and oil shield taken along lines 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a railroad wheel and journal box showing a major flow pattern of leaking oil from the journal box to the wheel and rail.

Now referring to FIG. 1, the preferred oil shield 10 of this invention was illustrated in perspective. Oil shield 10 generally comprises a metal body having a pair of opposed upwardly extending sidewalls II and I2 integral with a respective pair of flow channels 13 and 14 which extend along the length of shield 10 from catch basin area 15 to the opposite end of said body 10. Basin area I5 generally comprises an upturned end wall 16 integral with the end of shield 10. Thus. an open receptacle is formed by the coaction between end wall 16, sidewalls 1 1 and I2, and flow channels 13 and I4.

Abutting section 17 extends upwardly in the center of oil shield 10 from a point adjacent catch basin area 15 to the opposite end of shield 10. Abutting section I7 generally comprises wall 18 extending adjacent catch basin area 15, sidewalls I9 and rectangular abutting area 20. Rectangular abutting area 20 and flow channels 13 and 14 are angled divergently from catch basin area 15 to the opposite end of oil shield 10. The angle of divergence between rectangular abutting area 20 and flow channels 13 and I4 is generally not critical and is preferably between about 4 and 12 and more preferably from about 6 to about 10.

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate oil shield 10 operatively attached to jacking pad 21 of journal box 22 by welds 23. As illustrated in FIG. 2, rectangular abutting area 20 seats flat against jacking pad 21 and is of sufficient width and length to allow the lifting head of conventional railroad jacks to contact the lower .region thereof. Thus, the presence of integrally mounted oil shield 10 on journal box 22 will not interfere with the repair and maintenance operations relative to the journal box 22 and the lifting head of a jack can be readily applied to the lower region of rectangular abutting area 20 to lift journal box 22 by conventional jacking action.

As shown in FIG. 3, journal box 22 is a conventional journal box for receiving journal 24 of axle 25 which in turn carries wheel 26. Journal 24 is seated within bearing 27a positioned und'er wedge 27b and exposed to journal lubricating pads or fibrous stuffing material 28 which is impregnated with oil. lacking pad 21 forms the lower region of journal box 22 and has oil shield 10 integrally welded thereto as previously described.

Referring to FIG. 4 in conjunction with FIG. 3, oil leakage from a conventional journal box to the wheel 26 and rail 29 is illustrated in detail. Conventionally, oil from journal box 22 leaks out from openings 30 (FIG. 3) and drips down from the inner rear region 31 and jacking pad 21 of journal box 22. When the train is moving the wind velocity will blow this leaking oil directly to adjacent parts of the wheel and journal bearing assembly. Particularly large deposits of oil are formed in the inside rim area 32 of wheel 26 (FIG. 4). A major portion of these deposits are formed from droplets 40 which fall from journal box 22 to inside rim area 32. As wheel 26 moves, droplets 33 from wheel 26 are thrown by centrifugal force directly upon the upper surface of rail 29, and upon elongated area 34 of the railroad car directly above the wheel 26 to form oil deposit 35. Droplets 36 then fall downward from oil deposit 35. Much oil collects upon brake shoe 37 which is directly over the top surface of rail 29. Oil accumulates on brake shoe 37 and droplets 38 then fall directly upon the surface of the rail. The above discussion is an indication of how a major portion of contaminating oil deposits accumulate on a conventional railroad rail.

Referring now to FIG. .3, it is seen that substantially all of the oil which leaks from openings 30 of journal box 22 is caught by oil shield 10. The major portion of this leakage occurs from the aperture through which axle 25 and journal 24 extend. Sidewalls 11 and 12 extend upwardly around the sides of journal box 22 a sufficient length to serve as a wind guard and thereby prevent air currents from blowing any oil contained within catch basin area or fiow channels 13 or 14 therefrom and against adjacent wheel components. Thus, substantially all of the oil which leaks from around the inner journal openings 30 of journal box 22 passes to the inner region 31 of journal box 22 and then into catch basin area 15. Additionally, substantially all of the oil which leaks from outer journal openings 30 of journal box 22 passes to the lower surface of jacking pad 21 and then into flow channels 13 and 14.

Since jacking pad 21 and rectangular abutting area are substantially parallel with the ground and perpendicular to the force of gravity, and flow channels 13 and 14 are angled downwardly therefrom, oil will flow down the length of flow channels 13 and 14 and out the end thereof as droplets 39 as illustrated in FIG. 3. Droplets 39 are deposited on the roadway at a safe distance from rail 29. Flow channels 13 and 14 can be any desired length, but it is generally preferred that they do not extend beyond the outside end of journal box 22 to avoid contact with any obstacle situated adjacent the railroad track.

Thus, by the use of the subject invention, contaminating oil leakage from conventional railroad journal boxes is deposited at a safe distance outside the wheel-rail contact areas. The removal of these contaminating deposits from the railroad wheels and rails by the subject invention, substantially reduces wheel slippage conventionally due to oil leakage and the resultant expenses dependent thereto for sanding devices, sand, and various other mechanisms which have heretofore been developed to alleviate the problem of wheel slippage.

While this invention has been described in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that various modifications of this invention can be made by one skilled in the art upon reading the specification, and it is intended to cover such modifications as followed in the scope of the appended claims. For example, it is within the scope of this invention to utilize only a single flow channel 13 or 14, or more than two flow channels within the oil shield.

lclaim:

l. A shield for attachment to a railroad journal box for catching and diverting oil leaking therefrom to an area of the roadway away from the railroad wheel and rails comprising a shield member having:

a. a flat attachment pad for abutment with the lower jacking pad surface of the journal box;

b. a catch basin positioned at one end of said shield for receiving oil leakage from the inside end of said journal box;

c. at least one flow channel communicating with said catch basin and extending along the length of said shield and being inclined downwardly from said basin to deliver oil leakage to said area.

2. The shield of claim 1 having a pair of said flow channels, each positioned on opposite sides of said attachment pad.

3. The shield of claim 1 wherein the lower portion of'said attachment pad is adapted to receive the lifting head of jack means.

4. A shield for attachment to a railroad wheel journal box for collecting oil leakage therefrom and diverting such leakage to a point on the ground adjacent the front end of said journal box comprising anelongated shield body for attachment to the jacking pad of said journal box having a first and a second end; a pair of substantially flat parallel opposed sidewalls for fitting over opposed sides of said journal box; an uplifted end wall positioned at said first thereof between said sidewalls to form a basin therebetween; and a raised center portion extending between said sidewalls from a point adjacent said basin to the second end of said shield thereby forming a pair of flow channels between said raised portion and said sidewalls, which channels communicate from said basin to said second end, the

top of said raised portion being a substantially elongated rectangular area for abutment along the length of said acking pad, and the angle between said top and said flow channels diverging from said basin to said second end.

5. In a journal box for a railroad wheel comprising a housing means for receiving the journal section of a railroad wheel axle through the rear portion thereof, and carrying bearing and lubricating means for said journal, and having a jacking pad surface on the underside thereof, the improvement comprising:

an oil shield means integrally attached to said jacking pad having a flat abutting portion attached to said jacking P a catch basin positioned under said rear portion of said journal box, and

at least one gravity flow channel communicating from said catch basin to a point adjacent the front portion of said journal box for deiivery of oil on the roadway adjacent said wheel.

6. The journal box of claim 5 having two of said gravity flow conduits each being positioned on opposite sides of said flat abutting portion.

7. The journal box of claim 6 further comprising sidewalls extending upwardly from said gravity flow channels around the lower portion of said journal box.

8. A method of preventing leakage of oil from a railroad wheel journal box to a railroad wheel and rail comprising:

a. collecting leaking oil from said journal box in a collecting zone beneath said journal box;

b. transferring said collected oil by gravity flow within a gravity flow zone to a point adjacent the outer end of said journal box; and

c. depositing said oil from said gravity flow zone to the roadway beneath said journal box and adjacent said rail. 

1. A shield for attachment to a railroad journal box for catching and diverting oil leaking therefrom to an area of the roadway away from the railroad wheel and rails comprising a shield member having: a. a flat attachment pad for abutment with the lower jacking pad surface of the journal box; b. a catch basin positioned at one end of said shield for receiving oil leakage from the inside end of said journal box; c. at least one flow channel communicating with said catch basin and extending along the length of said shield and being inclined downwardly from said basin to deliver oil leakage to said area.
 2. The shield of claim 1 having a pair of said flow channels, each positioned on opposite sides of said attachment pad.
 3. The shield of claim 1 wherein the lower portion of said attachment pad is adapted to receive the lifting head of jack means.
 4. A shield for attachment to a railroad wheel journal box for collecting oil leakage therefrom and diverting such leakage to a point on the ground adjacent the front end of said journal box comprising an elongated shield body for attachment to the jacking pad of said journal box having a first and a second end; a pair of substantially flat parallel opposed sidewalls for fitting over opposed sides of said journal box; an uplifted end wall positioned at said first thereof between said sidewalls to form a basin therebetween; and a raised center portion extending between said sidewalls from a point adjacent said basin to the second end of said shield thereby forming a pair of flow channels between said raised portion and said sidewalls, which channels communicate from said basin to said second end, the top of said raised portion being a substantially elongated rectangular area for abutment along the length of said jacking pad, and the angle between said top and said flow channels diverging from said basin to said second end.
 5. In a journal box for a railroad wheel comprising a housing means for receiving the journal section of a railroad wheel axle through the rear portion thereof, and carrying bearing and lubricating means for said journal, and having a jacking pad surface on the underside thereof, the improvement comprising: an oil shield means integrally attached to said jacking pad having a flat abutting portion attached to said jacking pad, a catch basin positioned under said rear portion of said journal box, and at least one gravity flow channel communicating from said catch basin to a point adjacent the front portion of said journal box for delivery of oil on the roadway adjacent said wheel.
 6. The journal box of claim 5 having two of said gravity flow conduits each being positioned on opposite sides of said flat abutting portion.
 7. The journal box of claim 6 further comprising sidewalls extending upwardly from said gravity flow channels around the lower portion of said journal box.
 8. A method of preventing leakage of oil from a railroad wheel journal box to a railroad wheel and rail comprising: a. collecting leaking oil from said journal box in a collecting zone beneath said journal box; b. transferring said collected oil by gravity flow within a gravity flow zone to a point adjacent the outer end of said journal box; and c. depositing said oil from said gravity flow zone to the roadway beneath said journal box and adjacent said rail. 